Portable grenade gun



y 1944- c. F. SHAFFER ET AL 2,353,971

' PORTABLE GRENADE GUN Filed May 25. 1942 FIE! 26 I '1 24 rl 16 -25 -27 [NVENTORS C'LEVE E ShflF'FEE HERMAN J. F'ANGE'E gyE/VEY GEUENHAGE'N ATTORNEY Patented July 18, 1944 PORTABLE GRENADE GUN Cleve F. Shafier, San Francisco, Herman -J. Fanger, Piedmont, and Henry Gruenhagen,

Oakland, Calif.

Application May 25, 1942, Serial No. 444,350

Claims. (01. 42-1) This invention relates to muzzle loading guns of the type used for firing grenades instead of throwing them by hand, and the principal object of the invention is to provide improvements in this type of gun whereby it will be more compact and easily carried and operated by infantrymen, Also special features and advantages of the invention will appear in the following description and accompanying drawing.

.In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side view of our improved grenade gun outfolded or extended to firing position and with portions broken away to reveal the inner structure.

Fig. 2 is a side view of the gunfolded up to about half its length, and as seen from right angles to the View of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross sectional view of the gun of Fig.1 as seen from the line 3-3 thereof. 1

Fig. 4 is an enlarged central vertical section of the base of the gun barrel, firing chamber, and associated parts, as well as one of the pivots about which the barrel swings in folding up.

Briefly stated the gun comprises a muzzle:-

loadin g barrel adapted to receive a grenade -mounted on an adapter. The barrel is pivoted to the outer end of a skeleton stock or shoulder frame in a manner to swing around and fold up in the frame, and the barrel of the gun then forms a receptacle for several grenades and/or grenade adapters as the open end of the muzzle is closed when the gun is folded. The gun is .fired with a finger set and released firing pin, so

I that the utmost simplicity is maintained throughout the structure to make the gun substantially fool proof and not likely to get out of order in the field.

In the drawing I is the gun barrel, 2 the base or firing chamber member to which the barrel is attached, and which base member is pivoted on a transversely extending axis 3 by means of pivots 4, to the upper end or ends of a skeleton frame 5 in turn secured at its lower end to a disk 6 covered on the outer side by a very thick piece of cellular rubber or other resilient shock absorbing pad such as felt, or any suitable combination of resilient materials so as to form a pad adapted to go against the shoulder of the person firing the gun.

The gun has a centrally disposed firing pin 8 .at the bottom of the firing chamber, and is adapted to fire any muzzle loading projectile carrying its own ejection charge, but is particularly constructed and adapted for firing hand grenades mounted on bore fitting adapters which carry their own expellingcartridge at the lower end so that it will come over the firing pin when slid down the bore of the gun, such grenade adapter assemblages as are particularly shown and described in the copending concurrently filed patent application of Herman J. Fanger bearing Serial #444,307 and which application shows and claims a grenade adapter provided with spring detents which engage under an annular shoulder 9 formed around the firing chamber,

and also the special curvedrefiecting form of the base of the firing chamber indicated in Fig. 4 at H].

The gun barrel I is preferably screwed to the base 2 as by the threads H, and the lower end of the barrel is thickened as at I2 and is castellatedias at I3 where it tapers off to the barrel thickness, so that a soldier desiring to unscrew the barrel to clean outthe firing chamber can strike the edges ,of the castellations with any hard heavy object either to start the unscrewing, or similarly to finally screw the parts tightly together. a

The base 2 is round, and of somewhat larger diameter than the barrel and has two arcuate .ears or extension 2' extending downward and to which the stock frame sides 5 are respectively pivoted by the pivots 4. The formof the side members 5 and their relation to the base 2 of the barrel is best shown in Fig. 3. The frame sides 5 are of sheet metal arcuately channelled to fit against the opposite sides of the base member 2 and are outwardly beaded along their edges as at 5 to stiffen them, and each one has a short reinforcing plate 5" spot welded to the outer side ,of itsupper end where the pivot goesthrough.

The pivots are free to turn in the frame members and free to slide and turn in the ears 2 and are resiliently urged inwardly by heavy compression springs l4 reacting between the ears 2 and collars IS on the pivots, the collars are kept from coming off of the pivots by any suitable means,

, such as, by slightly heading over the inner ends of the pin as at It. The outer ends of the pivots are provided with relatively large heads 4.

The lower ends of the frame sides are preferably welded to a downwardly extending flange .6 formed around disk 6, and the pad I is cemented, vulcanized or otherwise firmly secured to the underside of the disc, its flange, and the adjacent ends of the frame sides.

By the construction this far described it will be manifest that the stock frame 5 tho resiliently clamped against opposite sides of the base 2 by-the springs it, maybe forcibly swung on axis 3 by grasping the frame with one hand and the gun barrelgwith the other, as the springs will yield to permit sufficient spreading apart of the frame sides to permit the base 2 to turn out of its arched seat, and as the diameter of the gun bargrenades and their adapters, by soldiers on the march, any suitable strap or sling being provided I to carry the folded gun on the shoulder;

When thegu'n'is extended or outfolded it will be rigid if springs M are strong, but to guard against doubling up through faulty handling orr;

using, any suitable latch may be used orsplit pin as at I! shoved'through a hole in the frame and one of the ears 2. The split pinmay heflo ngthev end of a short chain l8 secured atits other end: i l

to the frame as at [9.

The finger operated firing pin includes a tubular housing screwed over a threaded'boss21 projecting from the underside of the base 2: of a the barrel. The firing pin 8 slides in ahole 22 drilled throughgthe bottom; of 1 the firing chamber member or base' t and, is shown providedwith an enlarged head {23; slidable in a bore 24in the housing 20 and normally urged outwardly against a shoulder 25"by a very light compression spring '26 to retain the firing 'piniinretracted position the barrel is used as a transporting receptacle for several grenades and adapters with the gun folded, but it is evident'that instead'of; the firing pin and; hammer being in'twojsections, the inner or o firing pin section may be an integral continuation of the hammer pin if greater simplicity is desired, and if the spring is relatively weak, the capof a freshly-inserted charge would still push the firing'pin back without exploding the cap, in acase where the trigger was left in the discharged position,

Having thus; described our improved portable grenade gun, what-we claim is:

,1; A muzzle loading grenade gun comprising a barrelclosed at its inner end; a stock frame ftransverselypivoted at one end tothe inn'er end g of the barrel, said-'stock frame being ofopensided with its free end-just below the firing chamber as shown.

Outward of firing pin head 23 is a trigger or hammer pin; 21ers diameter somewhat smaller than head 23, and freely slid ablel in a bore 28. Pin 2! is hollow at its outer end as at Hand within it is aj-strongspiral compression "spring 3;] urging the hammer pin toward; the head 23 0f the firing pin, but" pin 2'! is 'limited in its forward a movement by any suitable stop while its blow upon' the'head'2'3 of the firing pin will drive the latter forward by momentum until it strikes the outer end of boss 2| withthe free end of-thefiring pin extending into "the firing chamber (to explode the cap of the ejecting cartridge of the projectile used); still the hammerpin 21" is the hammer pin Z-Tis of a transversely extendingffinger pin or trigger 3i -which passes tightly through pin 21 and projects at both ends through a' slot 32 cut through the hous'ing 2|). This slot is laterally notched at its outer end'as. at 33 sothatwhen'trig'ger. pin 3l-is grasped by; two

fingers and pulled back -andicompress spring 30,

*the pin 3i is swung laterally into thenotches33 jto,;cock' the trigger; and to firev-the gun the l trigger pin is; simply pushed out of the notches to fly forwardunder the suddenly released energy ofspringand cause pin 2-! ='tostrike a quick blow onthe head 23 of'thefiring pin, to-in turn, drive it forward as' explained; but since the trig-y ger pin 3| comes'to the -inner end 32' of slot 32 it cannot follow up -the firing-pin; and always permits the'latter to be backed out of impinging co-ntact with the cartridge cap;

- In the drawing thespring' urged hammer pin", is shownas just at the-point ofstrikingjthe head of the firing pin, andwiththe trigger; pin 31 not yet at the ends of slot 32 which will-stop its-further. motion, while the firingapincontinues on.

With the above construction there isnno danger of premature firingupon reloading from the muzzle as required with thisntype of gun, or; when construction permitting the barrel to fold on its pivotal connection and swing into the frame, and a shoulder pi ece-on 'the} opposite end of said stock frame including a inember substantially closing off the muzZle-rof th'e 'gun when so folded into the stock f-rain'ie, so as to'retain grenades and/or adapters within-the barrel. v

2. A grenade gun having a barrel with a firing chamber at{ itsiiiher end, a stock frame'having two longitudinally extending side members spacedlaterally and at one end embracingopposite sides vof the firing chamber of the barrel, a disk tying the opposite'endsof said members together, and means pivoting said side members to the firing chamber on-anaxi's extending transv'ersely of the-gun barrel, and" said stock aframe being of suchf'a length-whereby the barrel may be folded on its pivotal connection into the'space between said members with the end of its muz zle in confronting -relation barrel is so folded: I 1

to said disk when the 31 '111 the-construction as set out in claim" 2',

said disk providedwith a downwardly extending marginal flange secured tofthe ends of said membersgarid 'a 'should;e r pad secured to the under 'side of *said disk and 'e'mbr acing said flange,

- 4. In the construct-ionset out inclaim 2, said side members fsrmed or sheet metal longitudinally channelled in a manner to snugly embrace the-opposite sides or the firing chamber portion of I the gun' barrel when the gun is outfolde'd, and the means'-'-=pivoting' the members to the firing 'cha'mber includingsprings permitting the side 7 members to spread apart asthe bar-rel is being folded; and to close-imagainst the firing chamber again when the gun is in folded position,

*thereby firmlyf holding the'barre'l in both folded fandout-folded position. 1 l

- 5; In theconstruction set out in claim 2, said side' members formed-of sheet metal longitudi nally channelled and stiffened by outward beading along its ed es in arnanner tosnugly embrace the opposite sides of the firing chamber portion of the-gunbarrel when the gun is 'outfolded, and

the means pivoting the members to the firingchamber including springspermitting the side members to' spread-apart'as the barrel is being,

folded; and to close in against the firing chamber-"again: whentheggun is in folded position, thereby firmlylhold-ing the barrel'in' both folded and outfolded position.

ACLEVE' F, SHAFFE-R. v H'ERMAN J. FANGER .HENRY GRUENHAGEN. 

